Napa Cabbage Wraps with Quick Sesame Noodles

Napa cabbage wraps are a fun spin on more common lettuce wraps. Like lettuce, Napa cabbage is light and crunchy. It has a slightly bitter taste that’s great with this slightly sweet filling. Serve up your wraps with a side of quick sesame noodles, and you’ve got yourself an easy, healthy meal, my friends!

I was talking to my sister on the phone and mentioned that I didn’t know what to make for dinner. After going through the contents of my fridge, she suggested lettuce wraps, and I’m so glad she did!

I love the combination of the hot filling with the crunchy, cold cabbage. So nice on a chilly evening! We had them with a side of sesame noodles. Instead of lettuce, these wraps use Napa cabbage, but you could definitely use lettuce instead, if you don’t have Napa cabbage on hand.

Napa Cabbage Wraps

makes 4 servings

Ingredients

one head of napa cabbage (or lettuce, as long as it has large outer leaves that you can wrap around the filling.)

1 block extra firm tofu, finely diced

1 cup mushrooms (Any sort will do. I used baby bellas.), finely diced

2 teaspoons each of mirin and soy sauce

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1″ piece of ginger, minced

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Method

Start by removing the outer leaves from the cabbage and divvying them up between four plates. Finely dice up the smaller leaves that are in the center – they’re too small for scooping, but they’re delicious sauteed with the tofu and mushrooms! If you used lettuce, you might substitute a bit of bok choy in the tofu mixture or just leave the greens out entirely.

In a bowl, combine the tofu, mirin, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Toss to coat and let the tofu marinate for about 30 minutes, tossing after 15 so everything marinates evenly.

Heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan and add the tofu. Let the tofu cook, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes. Now, add the mushrooms and cabbage to your pan and cook for a few minutes more, until the mushrooms soften.

You’re ready to serve! Divide the filling between four plates, along with some Sesame Noodles (recipe below). To assemble a wrap, just shovel some of the tofu mixture into the little cabbage or lettuce cups, wrap up like a tiny burrito, and munch away!

Sesame Noodles

Ingredients

box of your favorite Asian noodles (udon or soba would work really well)

a tablespoon each of sesame oil, mirin, rice vinegar, and soy sauce

2 tablespoons of sesame seeds

Method

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and rinse them, then transfer them back to the empty pot (with the burner off).

Toss the noodles with the mirin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir in the sesame seeds and serve.